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The Legendary Five
The Legendary Five are the five most dangerous and feared criminals in all of Paradigm City. Each of these villains have tormented the population, defeated heroes, and committed despicable crimes to such a degree that they have become all but household names. When the several news agencies in Paradigm City announce that one of these criminals is active, it strikes profound fear into the heart of the population. Even among law enforcement it is often only the brave men and women of Heroes Unlimited willing to, and capable of, facing these foes. Who Are The Legendary Five? As previously stated, the Legendary Five are terrors, pure and simple. They are not feared simply because of all the mayhem they have caused, but also because almost none of them have ever been arrested (with the exception of one.) Here they are listed in order of danger from most dangerous to least. 1. Coldsnap Identified as Doctor Emma Frost, a molecular biologist whose powers were triggered under tragic circumstances. She was at work late, all of her attention focus on a new formulation that would be extremely cold resistant, with the goal in mind that use of this formulation in barren tundra regions of the world would allow crops--even tropical ones--to grow and flourish in the climate and thus provide extensive farmlands which could be used to grow food and put a dent in world hunger. She hadn't noticed that a mentally unstable young office assistant had taken a liking to her, and when she refused his advances the young man grew violent. He physically attacked her and did horrendous physical damage, violated her, and then for good measure locked her in a sub-zero freezing unit to assure his crime would go unreported. Nobody is quite sure what triggered Doctor Frost's transformation, but mere moments later she emerged from captivity with light blue skin, extreme powers of c0ntrol over ice and cold, and a completely shattered perception of reality. Naturally, her attacker was the first man she murdered but many, many others would follow. Coldsnap could be set off by virtually anything, even a news report suggesting a man might be responsible for harming his child would send her on the warpath: the man, his family, and his friends and associates would be mercilessly murdered. Coldsnap was powerful enough to generate sub-zero temperatures, even on the hottest day in august. On two occasions she froze Millennium City solid, killing thousands in the process. Nobody, including the hero Thumbelina herself, knows how Thumbelina was able to bring a sense of lucidity to Coldsnap. Thumbelina alone confronted her and spoke to her, resulting in the astonishing resolution that Coldsnap agreed to let Thumbelina turn her in. Today, Dr. Emma Frost is serving out a life sentence in Stronghold prison. She keeps to a strict regimen of anti-psychotic medication and therapy, and has become a model prisoner. Even though she is effectively 'cured' and no longer poses a threat to herself or others, it's extremely unlikely that Dr. Frost would ever again be granted her freedom. That's all right with her, for she is sincerely remorseful over her actions as Coldsnap and feels that incarceration is the price she must pay. 2. The Riddler The serial killer known as the Riddler stands out alone as unique among all of the active criminals in Paradigm City. When he selects a target to be murdered he unfailingly contacts a hero or hero team and presents a complex riddle which identifies the target's name, his profession, where the murder will take place, and the time that the murder will occur. If the hero is able to solve the riddle in time--usually within 24 hours--and appear at the site of the wood-be execution, The Riddler does not harm the target in any way. The populace of Paradigm City becomes terrified when if by some leak or intentional announcement the media gets wind of the puzzle and releases it to the public. There are nearly three million people living in Paradigm City. One of those people is The Riddler. One of those people is his target. The Riddler has never been identified and, to the best of anyone's knowledge, he has never even been seen. He makes it a point to never disclose the means by which he will commit a murder and experts believe that this is because The Riddler himself doesn't decide how to do the job until he's on the scene. He never kills the same way twice, which makes it impossible for investigators to detect any kind of pattern that could lead to his identification and arrest. Of the 108 puzzles Riddler has presented only five have been solved in time to save the luckless victim. Only five. Unlike many other serial killers, the Riddler doesn't brag of his successes. He doesn't taunt police or heroes; in fact, after a successful assassination he never even makes contact again unless it is with a new riddle, and sometimes years can pass before he strikes again. The Riddler is a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a question. Uncovering his identity and making an arrest are two events that may simply never happen. 3. Ultraviolet Among the annuls of crime, nobody holds the crown of tenacity as does Ultraviolet, leader of Paradigm City's oldest super-villain team, The Geodesics. The Geodesics have been active in Paradigm City since 1981 and although many of the teams roster has been arrested, there is always another criminal willing to don the identity of a Geodesic and continue the operations. Only Ultraviolet and her right hand, Diamond, have never been apprehended. Ultraviolet is a brilliant strategist and a criminal mastermind of the 9th degree. She is also a powerhouse in her own right, thanks to the high tech bodysuit she wears. The suit allows her to bend light away from herself in order to become completely invisible; the suit also deflects radar, sonar, and other visual means of location. In addition, Ultraviolet can use the suit to collect and store ambient energy, most often sunlight, and release it in cone-shaped blasts, beams, bolts, and balls of energy that run the entire gambit of the electromagnetic spectrum. Ultraviolet can attack with radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet and X-ray energy, and the deadliest of all: gamma rays. Ultraviolet's suit also deflects sound, which allows her to attack with energy that is utterly soundless. Her targets usually have absolutely no idea that they are under attack until the energy strikes them. Ultraviolet is a killer, she has sent civilians, elected officials, law enforcement agents, and politicians to their graves. The suit makes Ultraviolet powerful, but her mind makes her almost unstoppable. She is the penultimate mastermind, carefully plotting out her team's exploits second by second and ensuring that every contingency is in place. Under her leadership, the Geodesics have become the most feared criminal team in Paradigm City and the arch-nemesis team of Heroes Unlimited. It's a marvel that Mastermind has never offered her a seat as an Overlord but that may be only because he can't find her. 4. King Cobra Once upon a time, Dr. Timothy Blank was London's leading geneticist, honored and respected. Cleopatra considered it a huge favor when Dr. Blank agreed to work for Heroes Unlimited as the company's Chief of Research and Medicine. Dr. Blank worked for Heroes Unlimited for a decade, quietly biding his time, collecting information on every employee of the organization, and working on his masterpiece: the Coil Gene, a genetic process by which he could fuse reptilian and human DNA to create a brand new life form. When the Coil Gene procedure was perfected, Dr. Blank was the first subject. He spliced his own DNA with that of an African King Cobra, and the vile mastermind King Cobra was born. Since his betrayal of Heroes Unlimited, King Cobra has become one of the biggest thorns not only in their sides but also the side of the whole of Paradigm City. A would-be conqueror, King Cobra has become an infamous cult leader with his New Man Society and has produced some of the most horrific reptilian super-villains, such as Sidewinder, Black Mamba, and Cottonmouth. King Cobra is a mastermind that works behind the scenes, quietly manipulating events and individuals to make life hell for the teams of Heroes Unlimited. He isn't a grandstanding criminal; he doesn't march troops and tanks down Main Street demanding that the public surrender. No, he does much worse. Like his namesake he strikes hard but silently, spreading his venom and making super-heroes jump through flaming hoops until they realize exactly who it is they're dealing with. King Cobra is a killer, but much worse than that he is an abductor. He kidnaps individuals whom have achieved breakthroughs in science and medicine and turns them into reptilian servants. His goal of world domination is subtle, changing one individual at a time into a reptile until, eventually, the entire West Coast will bend the knee to the coils of the snake. 5. The Fox of Crime When Frederick Fagan (pictured) boasts that he is the greatest thief in the world, the statement is hard to argue. The Fox of Crime is internationally wanted for high stakes, high value robberies and cat-burglary. The leader of the team of super-thieves called The Syndicate, Fagan has arrest warrants throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. He and his team have stolen billions of dollars worth of valuable art, historical artifacts, and national treasures. Although Fagan is an incredibly dangerous man, he fancies himself (and is seen by many throughout the world) as a romantic hero. He has killed many times, but it has always been proven that the men he has killed are criminals much worse than himself. Indeed, Fagan has been known to go out of his way to protect innocent civilians and has, on a number of occasions, rescued men, women, and children whom were being threatened by criminals and criminal empires. The Fox of Crime's relationship with Heroes Unlimited is one of joviality. He never has any intent to cause the heroes any real harm but he certainly does love playing head games, taunting the heroes to come after him and stop one of his stunning crimes, and howling with laughter at them when they fail.